Emery l



EMERY L. CAMFIELD, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

EN GIN E-VALVE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 20, 1919.

Application filed September 20, 1916. Serial No. 121,193. 7

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EMERY L. CAMFIELD, a citizen of the United States, and resident of St. Louis, Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Engine- Valves, of which the following is a specification'containing a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

My invention relates to improvements in engine valves. The object of my invention is to provide a balanced rotary valve mechanism which shall be lighter in weight, cheaper and simpler in construction, have fewer-parts, be more eflicient in operation, and have a higher space economy than valves of said type heretofore constructed.

A more specific object is to perfectly mechanically balance the'valve, have one valve with a multiplicity of cylinders,have a relativelylow rotary valve speed and obviate the possibility of the engine with which the valve is used stopping on dead center so that external mechanical effort is necessary to start the engine initially.

With the above purposes in view, my invention consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described, pointed out in the claimand illustrated by the accompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 is a longitudinal assembled sectionalelevation through the valve, showing the steam line.

Fig. 2 is a detail plan view of thevalve head showing the valve seat, and

. Fig. 3 is a detailplan View of the valve disk viewed from below.

Referring by numerals to the accompanying drawings: 6 designates the base, 7 the valve head, 8 the steam chest, 9-the steam chest cover, 10 the gear or upper end of the valve rod, the lower extremity of which is rounded, 11 the valve disk, 12 the balance disk which is in sliding contact with the cylindrical surface 13, 14 the balance disk end of the valve rod which is cupped at its upper end and to which, near its lower extremity, is keyed the balance'disks12,1'5 the steam line, 16 an auxiliary steam line terminating in the balance disk chamber 17 and below the balance disk.

The disk 11 is keyed to the gear end of the valve'rod 10, near the lower end of the latter. The upper end of the rod 10 has a driving means (not shown) firmly secured thereto.

. By these means, rotary motion is imparted to the rod 10 and'hence to the disk 11. The lower end of the. valve rod 10 rests in the cupped end of valve rod, 14. The disk 11 has arcuations 18. extending from face to face similar in shape to the arcuations in the face 22 of the valve head 7 (to be explained presently) and arcuations 19, extending from one face partially through the disk. These arcuations 19 are all connected with the annular cavity, 20; 21 designates a hole from face to face through the center of the disk 11 through which rod 10 passes by these means communication is established between arcuations 19, the annular cavity 20, the hole 23 and passage'23 (presently to be described). I

The upper face of the valve head 7 designated by 22 is perforated with the hole 23 which communicateswith the atmosphere or a condenser as may bedesired through passage 23. There are 12 arcuate' openings, the outer and inner edges of which are arcs of circles which are concentric with the eX- ternal circular edge of the valve'head face, these being designated. by the numeral 24; and arrangedconcentrically around the hole 23 and constituting valve head ports for the cylinder connections described below.

For purposes of reference and explanation these arcuate openings are lettered as shown in Fig. 2 from a to d inclusive, there being three arcuations similarly marked with each of these letters. The ports and passages from the cylinders (not shown) through the valve head 7 are indicated by the letters a to cl lines in Fig. 1.

The arcuations in the face 22 of the valve, head 7 are connected by passages to similarly lettered but primedacylinder passages inclusive and dotted a to d inclusive, 6. 9., the three arcuations a all lead to the passage a and similarly the three arcuations Z) are all in communication with 6, etc.

The passages in the valve head, all pass around the hole 23, as shown in Fig. 1.

I have illustrated a valve to be used with two double acting steam cylinders and have shown three such arcuations as indicated by 18 and three such. as at 19. I do not wish to be limited to any particular number of cylinders or to any particular number of disk or valve head arcuations other than by the scope of the appended claims.

By varying the number, size, positioning and spacing of the arcuations of my disk and valve head, my device can be used with any engine or pump having a multiplicity of cylinders. The operation of my valve is as follows: Steam is admitted through the steam line 15 into the chest 8, where it comes in contact with the disk 11, which is to be considered as rotating on its rod 10 and supported at its lower extremity by rod 1 1, in such a manner that the lower surface of the disk 11 is in rotatable contact with the face 22 of the valve head 7 The valve disk 11 and the balance disk 12 are so proportioned that the area of each which is exposed to live steam is substantially equal.

The steam also passes through the auxiliary steam line 16 into the chest 17 under the balance disk 12. It will be seen that the steam pressure forcing the valve upon its seat is substantially counter balanced by that upon the balance disk because an equality in steam pressure exists in the chest 8 and in the chest 17. The rotation of rod 10 is made on rod 14.

Thus far the description of the moclus opemmlz' has been limited to the valve balancing feature. The cycle of operation, 2'. e., the sequence of admission and exhaust for each cylinder is as follows, it being understood that in use the ports (5' and I) are connected with the opposite ends of one engine cylinder, while the ports 0' and (Z are connected with the ends of a second cylinder.

It is to be noted at the outset that each passage such as a and each arcuation such as a perform the function of both admission and exhaust for one end of one cylinder.

The hole 23, the passage 23 and the arcuations 19 in the disk 11 together with their connections to and the annular cavity 20 perform the sole function of conducting the exhaust steam from the cylinders to the atmosphere or condenser (not shown).

If the disk 11 be superimposed on the face 22 of the valve head 7 concentrically with said face so that the three valve head arcuations 0 register with the three disk arcuations 18, it will b seen that steam is being admitted from the steam chest 8, through the arcuations 18, the arcuations 0, through the valve head 7, through the passage 0' to one end of the cylinder assumed to be connected to the ports 0, (Z; while simultaneously steam is exhausting from the other end of this cylinder through the passage (5 through the arcuations (Z and 19 thence through the connection in the head 7, to the annular cavity 20, thence through the hole 23 and exhaust opening 23 to the atmosphere or a condenser as the case may be.

The cycle of operation of the valve when operating with the other cylinder is the same except that the order is reversed.

The arcuations a, b, 0, d are connected to the arcuations a, b, 0, cl, both inclusive by means of ducts, shown in Fig. 1, care being taken that the ducts do not interfere with each other, i. 6., to say that they pass under or over or to the sides of each other.

During a stroke of the piston the disk rotates, so that when the piston reaches the end of the stroke, the arcuation 19 registers with the arcuation c, which through the valve head 7 is in fluid communication with the arcuation c and steam commences to exhaust from the end of the cylinder to which it has been admitted; simultaneously, arcuation, 18 is placed in communication through arcuation d with the arcuation d and steam is admitted to the opposite end of the cylinder.

My valve is so perfectly balanced that the friction between the disk and the valve head is reduced to a minimum-the valve rides on its seat.

\Vhat I claim and mean to secure by Letters Patent is In a device of the character described in combination with an arcuated valve seat having a hole in its geometric center extending therethrough in communication with the atmosphere, an engine cylinder, an arcuated rotative valve disk with a hole in its geometric center extending from one face partially through the disk and with certain arcuations similarly extended from the same face partially through the disk and in direct communication with said hole, and other arcuations extended from face to face of said disk, and means whereby at a certain selective positioning of said valve disk communi cation is established between the arcuations which extend from face to face of the disk and one end of the cylinder, and simultaneously direct communication is established between the other end of said cylinder through the remaining arcuations of said disks into the hole of said disk and thence to the atmosphere, a split valve stem formed of two parts, having its adjacent ends in rotative contact, a balance disk, a balance.

disk chamber, said balance disk positioned 1n said chamber, said valve disk and said;

balance disk secured to opposite ends of said name to this specification, in presence of split valve stem, said arcuated valve disk betwo subscribing Witnesses. ing in rotative contact with said areuated valve seat, and means for making the pres- EMERY CAMFIELD' 5 sure on the steam side of the valve equal to Witnesses:

that on the steam side of the balance disk. ANDREW HILDEBRAND,

In testimony whereof, I have signed my HAZEL MUELLER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0." 

